Minturn Anglers Guided Float Trips

Float Trip Overview

For anglers with beginner to advanced fly fishing abilities; float trips are an amazing way to see lots of fantastic scenery and learn new fishing tactics. Float fishing takes place on the larger rivers of the area in a high desert or sub alpine setting. Float trips also offer the ability to fish stretches of water otherwise inaccessible to wade fishing. All Minturn Anglers boats are comfortable and well outfitted with fishing braces, seats and even tables and chairs for shore breaks and meals.

Fishing

Side Drifting: Side drifting nymphs under an indicator is the most productive way to catch fish on any given day. We generally don’t get out of the boat, but instead fish ledges, drops and deep water where both good number and size of fish hold. You will learn how to read featureless water and find fish in spots many would never fish.

Streamers: When conditions allow for it, or when you decide you have caught enough fish on nymphs, we are always happy to show you how to chuck some meat. In spots with good bank structure we will cast towards the edges. More often than not though, we fish sink tips and swing flies deep through the middle of runs. You will learn how to effectively fish streamers on sunny days.

Dries: Fishing dry flies is awesome but lets face it, 90% of a trout’s diet is subsurface. However, if you are determined to fish dries we will get you on the water when you will have opportunities. If all you want to do is fish dries, we recommend doing a half day evening float. In the summer we will put on around 4pm and float until dark. August marks the start to great hopper fishing, and we will have a rod rigged in advance for you to cast towards the banks we know hold big fish looking for hoppers.

Spey/Two Hand Fishing: Swinging flies with two handed rods is our passion. We have become very proficient in teach first time spey casters how to effectively cast 2 handed rods, swing flies and experience the thrill of a bone jarring eat on a swung fly. There is simply nothing like it!

Lodging Details

The Vail Valley offers a wide range of lodging opportunities. Please give us a call directly at 970-827-9500 so that we can best determine what the best lodging accommodations are that will meet your needs.

INCLUDES…

Minturn Anglers Prides itself in upfront Honesty & No Hidden Fees. There is no fine print on our website. We do not advertise a low price and then nickel and dime our clients for flies, leaders, tippet and equipment rentals at the end of the day. We include all the flies, leaders, tippet, waders, boots, rods, reels and lunches on full day guided fishing trips. If you see a lower advertised price, and additional charges in the fine print for flies, rentals etc. proceed with caution! On a typical full day float trip with two anglers, it would be common to use 24 flies.

TRIPS DO NOT INCLUDE: A FISHING LICENSE & A GRATUITY FOR YOUR GUIDE. STANDARD GRATUITY IS 20%. 1/2 DAY AND 3/4 DAY TRIPS DO NOT INCLUDE LUNCH. IF YOU WOULD LIKE LUNCH PROVIDED ON THESE TRIPS THE PRICE IS $25/PERSON.

Trip Details

Float Trips With Minturn Anglers

Length of Trips & Descriptions

Half Day Float Trips : The half day is a 5-6 hour fly fishing experience from start to finish. This is a great way to pack a lot of action into a short day

Full Day Float Trips: Our full day float trip lasts as long as your arm can hold up. We generally start our full day trips in the morning, take a short break for lunch and finish our floats just before dark.

FAQS

How Far in Advance do I Need to Book a Trip with Minturn Anglers?

We are the largest fly fishing outfitter in the State of Colorado and have over fifty guides on staff covering both our Vail & Front Range Fishing locations. As a result, we can often handle same day reservations. That being said, we certainly encourage advanced reservations .

What do I need to Bring With me?

We are an all inclusive fly fishing outfitter. That mean’s that we provide all the fly fishing gear you will need. If you want to use your own gear you are certainly welcome to do so. Aside from the fishing gear, you’re welcome to bring a camera but our guides also have them if you forget.

What do I Need to Wear?

The best way to explain this is to imagine what you would wear if you were going on a hike or long walk on a similar weather day.

Do I need a Fishing License, and if so…where can I buy one?

All individuals 16 and over will need a Colorado Fishing License which can be purchased for at our store. Single day out of state CO fishing licenses are $9 for the first day and $5 for each additional day. If you want to get out the door quicker, feel free to purchase them online and view other fishing license options ahead of time HERE.

What is a Standard Gratuity for a Fishing Guide?

A standard gratuities for a fly fishing guide is 20%

Where do I meet my guide?

We can arrange to for you to meet us at our shop, at fishing locations or we are happy to pick you up at your place of residence. Whichever you prefer.

Will I catch a Fish?

Catching fish is never guaranteed, but we would say with strong certainty you will have opportunities to catch fish. We consider an “opportunity” as you set the hook, and felt the fish wiggle on the end of the line. How many fish come to hand is in large part determined by how much experience an angler has hooking & landing fish with a fly rod.

Other Questions You Might Have…

Please don’t hesitate to call us at any of our shops with any further questions you might have.

Terms

To book a trip, use the BOOK NOW button or call us and let us know when you would like to go & any other special trip information you might have. To hold a reservation, we require a credit card number to complete your reservation. The trip is charged 100% at the time of reservation.

Cancellation Policy

Payment in full is due upon trip confirmation. Trips are fully refundable up to 72 hours before your trip. If you cancel within 24-48 hours in advance of your trip you will receive a 50% refund. If you cancel within 24 hours of your trip, no refund will be given.

All trips are guided by Minturn Anglers, and rates reflect most current Minturn Anglers pricing). Minturn Anglers operates under special use permits from the White River National Forest, DOW, and the BLM. Colorado Outfitter #2597. Equal opportunity service provider.

Why Minturn?

Put simply, no other guide service consistently produces the fly fishing experience that we at Minturn Anglers provide on the Colorado or any of our other local rivers. If you have floated the Colorado River with other guide services and it didn’t become one of your favorite rivers, we encourage you to give us a call and experience the difference first hand. 970-827-9500

If you have fished the Colorado with other “guides” they more than likely tied on a dry and a dropper that you were told to cast towards the bank for the duration of the day. You likely hooked a few 12″ trout and perhaps got out of the boat to nymph for whitefish in order to save the day. Sound about right?

We are fly fishing guides committed to fly fishing. We are not a seasonal mass tourism fly fishing operation like you will find in most resort towns. We know the river intimately and are not learning it as we go. When we set up before a run, we are making adjustments to your flies and rig in advance because we know that an extra split shot is the difference between a fish or no fish in the next spot.

The Difference…

Experienced Guides: By booking with us, you will be guided by a guide with experience, talent and strong work ethic. That is our promise. We will not charge you $495 to go on a float trip with a “guide” that took a rowing school for the first time a few days prior.

We Fish for Big Fish: The Colorado is a big river and it holds quality trout. We see these fish frequently because we fish for them. As guides on the North Platte River in WY, we have learned how to fish the “featureless water” that other skip. Big trout hold in deep runs and behind submerged shelfs and structure. For these reason we will often ignore the banks that everyone fishes and have you fish in the middle of the river. While other guides turn around and row through the “the flat water” we fish it and catch fish that don’t get caught by anyone else.

We Work Harder: The biggest difference is that we are the hardest working guides on the river. If we pass through a run that we know holds fish, we don’t just keep going. We back row it and adjust our weight and depths until we start hitting fish. Once we start hitting fish, we don’t coast. We fish the river hard from the put in to the take out and give you your moneys worth.

Honesty: We are more interested in having you back year after year as opposed to making a quick buck off you. If fishing conditions change drastically following a big rain storm, we will be honest about what you can expect and let you decide whether or not you still wish to float or reschedule. We will always be happy to issue a refund if conditions wont allow for a great day on the river. That being said, it really takes a lot to make the Colorado unfishable and we almost prefer dirty water over really clear water on the Colorado.

Knowledgeable: Our guide staff is made up of authors, commercial fly tiers, and guides who fish and win fly fishing competitions. We are stewards of the sport and enjoy sharing our passion and knowledge for the sport with you. It’s easy to say, “we have the most knowledgeable and experienced staff” on a website. If you have any doubts we encourage you to ask around.

Innovation: We are innovators of our industry offering trips that no else does and service that is unrivaled. We are often followed or copied, but never outdone by other outfitters.

Friendliness. If our success could be summed up in one word, “friendly” would be that word. In an industry made up of arrogant fly fishing elitists, we have grown from nothing by consistently following the simple principle of, “Just be nice to people.”